THE MAGIC KADAHI (PAN)

Once upon a time there was a small village. Salma with her sweet little daughter lived in a small cottage in the village. They were very happy and contented.  Salma had a magic kadahi (pan), which was given to her by a sage who had come to the village just after Salma was married. This pan was a big support to Salma and her daughter.

    At mealtime Salma would put the pan on the stove and say: " Pan. O Pan! Please cook. And quickly too. I am hungry. Cook some porridge." No sooner these words were said than boiling porridge would appear in the pan and the pan would start filling up with it. When there was enough porridge for both Salma and her daughter Salma would say: Pan, O Pan! Please stop. And quickly too. Our stomachs are full. And thank you too." The moment these words were uttered the pan would stop cooking and Salma would place it on the table and she and her daughter would eat their fill. Salma would then say, "Pan, O Pan! Clean thyself. We are full for now. And thank you too." The pan would then become sparkling new and Salma would put it away,
Rahimchacha was Salma's neighbor and a very inquisitive man. He often said to himself, " Salma and her daughter seem very well fed and healthy, but I never hear the rattle of pots and pans which is an indication of someone cooking. I also have never seen her washing her pots and pans ever. The question is do they cook? If they do then when do they cook and as I have never seen her buying any foodstuff, what do they cook?"

Rahimchacha was astonished as the pan went to work and it filled up with boiling porridge. He was afraid of being seen and quietly left at this point and said to himself, "Ah! Now I know the secret of Salma's affluence and her cooking. I am going to take away this magic pan when Salma and her daughter go out."
Next day when Salma and her daughter went out to work, Rahimchacha crept into their house and stole the pan. He came back to his house, went into his kitchen, put the pan on the stove and said: "Pan O Pan! Please cook. And quickly, too. I am hungry. Cook some porridge."
Boiling porridge appeared in the pan and the pan started filling up with it. The pan was soon full. Rahimchacha who had only heard the words that began the cooking did know the magic words that would tell the pan to stop cooking. So he said, " All right enough, please stop cooking……"

The pan did not stop cooking. The porridge began to overflow and spill out from the pan. The whole kitchen floor was full of porridge, and then the other rooms filled and the porridge started flowing out on the streets. Rahimchacha watched helplessly and then began to run away from the boiling flowing porridge.

The porridge was chasing Rahimchacha wherever he went. Rahimchacha now alarmed ran helter skelter shouting for help, " Please! Somebody please help me! Somebody please come and say something to this pan. The whole village will fill up with it. The crows will fill the village to eat it. The village and my house will drown in porridge!"
The porridge continued to overflow and chase Rahimchacha wherever he went.

Meanwhile Salma and her daughter came home. When she saw the street in front of her house filled with porridge she knew what had happened. She walked into Rahimchacha's kitchen; Lo and Behold the porridge made a place for her to walk through. She went up to the pan and whispered to it, " Pan O Pan! Please stop. And quickly, too. Our stomachs are full. And thank you too."

    The pan stopped cooking. Rahimchacha said to Salma, "Please forgive me. I had become greedy. So I stole your pan. Now I do not want this pan or the porridge it cooks. Please pardon me for my behavior."

Rahimchacha had not heard the words Salma had spoken to the pan. Even now he has nightmares and wakes up in fright as he sees the porridge chasing him.

THE POTTER AND HIS DONKEY

Once upon a time lived a potter. He had a son. One day father and son decided to go to a nearby town's market place. They took their donkey along with them. They walked along with the father in the lead, donkey in the middle and the son at the back. After crossing the first village on their way they saw some boys playing on the outskirts of the village. The boys stopped to watch them pass by and one of them said, "Look at these fools. The donkey is without any load on its back. Why can't the father let the son sit on the donkey's back?"

On hearing this the potter thought that he was making a mistake and he asked his son to sit on the donkey's back and he with his long stick continued walking beside the donkey.

After a little while they came across another village. A group of old men were seated at the teashop by the roadside and were gossiping. They looked at the potters' procession and one of them said, " Well this is really Kaliyug (the evil Age). Look at this sight. Whilst the young and sturdy boy is sitting comfortably on the donkey the old father is trudging along with difficulty at his side. The son is not bothered at all!"

Both the potter and his son heard these remarks. The son felt ashamed of himself. He got off the donkey's back and asked his father to sit on its back. This was done and they again proceeded towards their destination.

After a little while whilst crossing the third village they came across a group of women drawing water from the village well. On seeing the father seated and the son walking. One of them on seeing this remarked, "Look at this strange sight. The father rides the donkey and his son is walking alongside in this heat. Why can't the father allow his son also to sit on the donkey behind him."

The impressionable father and his son heard all this and since the town was now a short distance away the father asked the son to hop on the donkey's back. Both father and son now astride the donkey proceeded to their destination.

On the outskirts of the town, a city dweller saw the father and the son both riding the donkey. Directing a stream of questions towards the potter he said, " Does this donkey belong to you? Is this way you treat a poor dumb animal? Have you no pity for the donkey? The poor animal may collapse and die under your weight. It will be better if you two carry the donkey for some time!"
The impressionable father and his son again tried to what others had to say. The father and son forced the donkey to lie down. Tied its front legs together and then its back legs together. The father the inserted his stout stick in between the donkeys' legs. They then took the long pole like stick on their shoulders and started walking to their destination with the donkey dangling from the stick.
Many boys seeing this strange site started following them. Soon a small crowd was walking along behind them. Whilst crossing a small stream which had wooden planks as a bridge on their way, the donkey got scared as it saw the water far below and heard the noise that the crowd was making. It started struggling to free itself. The rope tying its legs together snapped. The donkey fell into the shallow stream and hurt itself.

The father and son with great difficulty got the donkey out of the water and hired a cart to take it home. It would take months of care to make the donkey healthy again for work.

The father realizing the mistakes he had made said, " Son we have thoughtlessly listened to what others had to say about what we should or should not do. We nearly paid a very heavy price for not using our judgement and blindly doing what others wanted us to do. We will hence forth listen to all but will do what our own judgement says is right."

LISTEN TO ALL BUT DO WHAT YOU THINK IS RIGHT

Mother Advice

Aarohi was little girl with an obsession for lollypops and chocolates. Her mother all ways used to tell her, " If you don't cut down on eating chocolate and candy, you will get cavities in your teeth. More so as you only brush your teeth once."

Aarohi received the same warning everyday but was wont to ignore it.
One day as Aarohi got ready to go to school; she saw her mother's purse lying on the table. She could not control her temptation and stealthily took out some money and quietly put it in her school bag. As she was stepping out of the house she heard her mother, "Aarohi do not eat chocolate or lollypops or …….."
" I will get cavities in my teeth, more so as I brush them only once." She finished the sentence for her mother.

Both mother and daughter burst out laughing and the mother said, "See how sensible my daughter is, she remembers even the words I use in their correct sequence." Aarohi smiled and left for school.
During recess Aarohi came out from the school and went to a candy shop. There she bought five lollypops, finished two in the shop, and one more on her way back to her class. She carefully kept the remaining two in her school bag.

Aarohi returned home and as her friends were waiting for her, she quickly changed her clothes, combed her hair and went out to play.

Aarohi's mother took her school bag and was arranging her books when she found the two lollypops in the bag. She took them out and kept it in the cupboard. Aarohi came back late and she and her mother took dinner together. She was now asked by her mother to finish her homework.

Aarohi took her bag and sat down to do her homework but she could not find the two lollipops she had so carefully kept there. She realized that her mother must have found them and taken them away.

Aarohi immediately ran to her mother. She put her head in her mother's lap and began to cry. Feeling guilty she promised her mother, " Mother from now on I will never eat chocolates or lollypops. I am sorry that I stole money from your purse this morning. I promise not to repeat this mistake."
Aarohi's mother smiled and comforted her lovingly. "My dear daughter! I am happy that you have realized your mistake. I will not say anything about it anymore, I do not think that you do not need any more advice. You are indeed very sensible."

THE VALUE OF MONEY

A rich merchant, child less for many years, was blessed with a boy many years after his marriage. The merchant and his wife brought him up with a lot of care love. They always fulfilled all his needs and demands.

This fulfilling of all his demands made him grow into a pampered spendthrift. He never had to or did bother about money and spent thoughtlessly. When the merchant and his wife realized that this was due to their short coming in bringing up the child, they tried their best to change their son's habits, but it seemed that it was a bit too late in the day.

After trying every means of persuasions, one day the merchant called the boy to him and said, " Son you will inherit everything I have, but on one condition. You will have to prove to me that you are capable of earning a living. Until you prove yourself capable, you will not get even a miniscule amount of all my wealth."

The father's words hit the boy where it mattered most, his capability to get things done with his father's money!

He accepted his father's challenge and vowed: "I will certainly prove my capability of earning a living."

The following morning the son left his house in search of work. At last he got the job of a porter, to carry bags of grain and to load it on a cart. Take the cart to a customer and unload the bags there. After toiling hard for the whole day he got 10 rupees. He proudly gave the money to his father.

The father took the money and immediately threw it down the drain and it was seen no more.

This routine continued for some days. The merchant never said a word to his son. He would calmly throw his son's hard-earned money down the drain every day.

One day the son lost his patience. He said angrily, "Father! Why do you throw my hard earned money into the drain everyday?"
The father said, "I know that after working hard the whole day you are barely manage to earn ten rupees. I also know that you feel bad and your heart may be bleeding for the hard-earned money of yours being thrown down the drain. Well I hope you now realize how I feel when you spent my hard-earned money thoughtlessly."

The son realizing his mistake resolved to do what was right as far as money goes. Money was discovered to be used for social good. It is today god. I will spend it in the future for our necessities and as much as I can for good of the society.

TWO FRIENDS

Once upon a time, there were two friends who were very close to each other. They were always seen together. Their natures were however very different, one was greedy and the other jealous.
One day both friends roaming in the forest saw a temple, on peeping inside a black granite shivling was visible. They decided then and there to go in and do penance to please Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva could be easily pleased, they felt. If they could please him he would give them whatever they craved for.

The entered the temple and sat before the lingam in deep meditation for seven days without food or water or for a moment leaving their meditation. At last a pleased Lord Shiva appeared before them and said, " I am pleased with your penance. I will give you whatever you ask for. Only one of you, however, can ask for a boon. The other will get double of what is granted to the first."
The two friends were perplexed about who should ask the boon.

The greedy man thought, "I will not ask for a boon. If I do, my friend will get double of what I get. I will not allow this to happen. I think I deserve to get double of what he gets. " Thinking this the greedy man refused to ask for a boon.
The jealous man thought, "If I also refuse to ask for a boon, we will lose this opportunity. I should ask for a boon which should teach this greedy man a lesson. He is greedy as by refusing to ask for a boon he wants to get double o what I will get."
After thinking for a little while, the jealous man turned to Lord Shiva and said, "

O Lord! Please take away one of my eyes so that I turn blind in one eye."
Lord Shiva looked for a while at the jealous man and said, "How can you ask for such a boon? Your request shows up your jealous nature. Ask for a boon which will be good for you and your friend also."
The jealous friend realizing his mistake said, " O Lord! Give me good thoughts and good faith."
"So be it!" said Lord Shiva and disappeared.

DO NOT CUT OFF YOUR NOSE TO SPITE YOUR FACE!

THE WILY FOX.

Long long ago, a lake was inhabited by a crocodile and a crab. The other inhabitants being mostly fish, plenty of them. The crocodile and the crab were very close friends. The lake was in the middle of a forest and both the friends to feast on fish daily.

The two friend's staple diet being fish and fish only resulted in the number of fish in the lake. This led to the crocodile thinking that it would catch the animals that came to the lake for watering. Catching a prey every day was improbable, as the animals of the jungle knew about the crocodile living in it and was always careful.

The crab and the crocodile were really worried when the crocodile had an idea. He said to the crab, 'I will pretend to be dead. You can go and spread this news in the forest. Once the animals come to know that I am no more, they will come here to drink water but will be less careful about avoiding me. It will thus be easy to catch them.

The crab at once set off to spread the news of the crocodile's death to all the animals living in the Forest.

His first meeting turned out to be the sly fox. The crab told the fox about the crocodile's death. "Isn't this excellent news? The animals now will not have to worry about endangering their lives when they go to the lake to drink water. You may tell whomsoever you meet about this so that all of them can come for a safe drink from the lakes sweet water.

The wily fox, used to living in the forest by his wits, smelled something amiss, he remarked, " Poor crocodile, let me come and see for myself his dead body."

The crab took the fox to the crocodile, lying motionless close to the bank of the lake. "Friend Crab, he asked, " when did the crocodile die?'

'A little while ago," replied the crab, " I ran to the forest to spread the good news even as he was on the verge of death."

"Funny," said the fox, " since he died only a few minutes ago his tail should still be twitching." On hearing this the foolish crocodile moved his tail.

The wily fox then asked the crab"; can any dead animal move its tail? A dead animal can neither move nor hear. The crocodile is alive and he also heard me and that is why he moved his tail. Well Mr. Crocodile your trick did not work did it? Ha! Ha!"
Saying this the fox moved away to the forest and told all the animals in it about the trick the two friends wanted to play upon all the animals.
The two friends thus had to keep on eating fish till they were exhausted and then…………

THE BRAVE QUAIL

In a forest near Varanasi, there once lived some quails. The shady grove in which they nested was also the favorite grazing ground for a herd of elephants. The leader of the herd was a wise and just elephant, the Bodhisattva.

One day, one of the quails laid some eggs. “I hope my eggs will be safe till they are hatched,” she said to the father quail.
“You will have to keep careful watch,” replied the father quail.
Soon after the fledglings were hatched, the elephant herd arrived.
“What shall I do?” cried the mother." I can only fall at their feet and beg for protection.”

As the leader came close to her nest, the mother quail cried out, “Oh mighty elephant, my little ones are in danger. If your herd enters the grove, they will be trampled to death.”
“Do not fear little one,” said the elephant leader, “Your fledglings will not be harmed.”

The kind elephant stood over the nest as the herd grazed. When the herd was leaving, the leader cautioned," There is a rogue elephant who is wild and dangerous. He might soon be coming this way.”
“What shall I do, I am so small and weak,” said the helpless quail.
“All you can do is appeal to him for mercy,” advised the good elephant and departed.

Before long the rogue elephant arrived. The mother wasted no time and ran to the rogue elephant, begging, “Oh powerful one! I beg of you, spare my young ones!”
“How dare you come in my way?” the rogue elephant replied and in no time destroyed the nest and killed the father.

“There! That is the end of your silly brood,” the rogue elephant sneered.
The mother quail grieved over her family for a long time. She vowed to teach the rogue elephant a lesson. She thought long and hard and finally came up with a plan.

She went to her friend crow and narrated her sad tale. The crow was very sympathetic. “The rogue must not go unpunished,” the crow proclaimed and agreed to the mother quail’s plan.

  

The quail then went to her friend, the ant and sought her help.
“I heard about your babies,” the ant said. “I am deeply grieved. What can I do?”
The quail told the ant her plan and the ant readily agreed.
The quail then went to the frog, her long-time friend, and narrated what happened. “I am trying to get my friends, the crow, the ant and you to help me punish the spiteful elephant who killed my babies.”
“You can count on me” said the frog and followed the quail.

The three friends then implemented the quail’s plan. First, the crow darted at the elephant and plucked out the elephant’s eyes. Then the ant quickly went and laid her eggs in the eye sockets. As the eggs hatched and the baby ants began biting, the elephant could not bear the pain any more and desperately searched for water to wash his eyes. As the elephant dashed around in pain, the frog croaked close to a steep precipice. The blind elephant followed the sound of the frog’s croaking, thinking that water would be nearby.
Soon the elephant hurtled down to his death.

The three friends came together near the pond. “Thank you all for helping me to carry out my plan,” the mother quail said. "Let this be a lesson to all that even the small and weak can join together to correct an injustice.

The small and weak can join together to correct an injustice.

Unreliable Friends

    Once a merchant was leading a caravan of heavily-laden camels through a jungle when one of them, overcome by fatigue, collapsed.
The farmer decided to leave the camel in the jungle and go on his way.

Later, when the camel recovered his strength, he realized that he was alone in the strange jungle. But fortunately there was plenty of grass and he survived.
Then one day the king of the jungle, a lion, arrived along with his three associates - a leopard, a fox, and a crow.

The king wondered what the camel is doing in the jungle!

Then he came near the camel and asked "How did you end up in this hostile jungle?"

The camel explained what happened with his tearful eyes.

The lion took pity and said, "You have nothing to fear now. Henceforth, you are under my protection and will stay with us. The camel was relieved and began to live happily in the jungle.

But one day the lion was wounded in a combat with an elephant. He retired to his cave and stayed there for several days. His associates came to offer their sympathy and the lion felt sorry for them as they were also starving along with him. The associates tried to catch a prey for the lion but failed miserably. The camel had no problem as he lived on grass while others were starving. Then the fox came up with a plan. He secretly went to the lion and suggested that the camel can be sacrificed due to the emergency situation.

The lion got furious, "I can never kill an animal who is under my protection."

The fox humbly said,

"But Lord, you have provided us food all the time if any one of us voluntarily offered himself to save your life, I hope you won’t mind!" The hungry lion did not object to that and agreed to take the offer.

The fox went back to his companions and said, "Friends, our king is dying of starvation. Let us go and beg him to eat one of us. It is the least we can do for such a noble soul." So they went to the king.

When the crow came forward and offered his life. The fox interrupted, "You are a small creature, the master’s hunger will hardly be appeased by eating you. May I humbly offer my life to satisfy my master’s hunger." The leopard immediately stepped forward and said, "You are no bigger than the crow, it is me whom our master should eat."

The foolish camel thought, "Everyone has offered to lay down their lives for the king, but he has not hurt any one. It is now my turn to offer myself. So he stepped forward and said, "Stand aside friend leopard, the king and you have close family ties. It is me whom our master must eat."

An ominous silence greeted the camel’s offer, then the king gladly said, " I accept your offer, O noble camel." And in no time he was killed by the three rogues, the false friends.

Known Enemy is better than a False Friend.